


Happy Mother’s Day, Joyce Byers

by winonawriter



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 19:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14654601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winonawriter/pseuds/winonawriter
Summary: Breaking tradition, Joyce celebrates on a night out with a couple extra guests.





	Happy Mother’s Day, Joyce Byers

* * *

Smoothing her hair down for what felt like the hundredth time, Joyce stepped back to look at herself in the mirror. The maroon dress she wore fit nice enough and accented her fair skin. She didn’t have many nice things to choose from- it was either this or the dress she wore to Will’s funeral. The thought made her shudder and count her blessings for the health and safety of her two boys.

Her sweet sons who treat her to breakfast in bed and a delicious pasta dinner every Mother’s Day and would gladly do so every day if she let them. But this year, Jonathan and Will had something up their sleeves, prompting her to get dressed up for a real Mother’s Day dinner. They rarely went out to restaurants as they all saw it as an unnecessary extravagance when they could create a meal together and enjoy it in the comfort of their own home. Joyce also didn’t want Jonathan wasting his hard earned money on something like this when he was trying to save up before going off to college.

“Boys, that’s very nice of you but why can’t we just enjoy a nice home cooked meal? Will made the pasta perfectly last year!” Joyce knew she was fighting a losing battle as her sons stood before her in ironed dress shirts and their nicest jeans.  
Jonathan held back a laugh as his brother puffed his chest out in pride beside him. “I know, Mom, but please, we want to treat you to something nice.” Will nodded vigorously beside him. “And besides, when was the last time we went out for dinner?”

If Joyce really gave it thought, she would have to guess it’s been at least five years since they sat down in a real restaurant. She fiddled with the tie of the robe she had been wearing all day as she glanced between Will and Jonathan, both looking at her with expectant eyes.

“Fine.” Joyce admitted defeat as Will bounced on his heels. “How nice of a place are we going to?”

Will grabbed her arm and ushered her down the hall to her room. “Really nice! You have to wear something fancy, Mom! Or, well, wear whatever you like, I mean. You look pretty in everything!” Will peered down the hall and yelled. “Jonathan? What time is it?”

“A little past five!”

“Okay, Mom. Be ready by 5:45! Good luck!” And with that he was gone.

That’s how Joyce found herself digging through her closet for footwear other than worn tennis shoes. She chuckled at her youngest son wishing her luck on getting dressed for what seemed to be a formal occasion. She needed it. Feeling around some more, her hand landed on what she was looking for and she pulled out a pair of black kitten heels. Joyce hadn’t worn them in years, probably long before the last time she went out to dinner with her boys.

She slipped them on and crossed the room back to her vanity to spray some perfume on. There was a knock at the front door that startled her. She set the bottle down to go check who was there when she heard rushed footsteps as Will called out he would get it.

 

* * *

 

Hopper tugged at the collar of his shirt as he followed El the short distance up the steps, the girl bounding to the front door before excitedly knocking. He smiled down at her as she clasped a bouquet of flowers in both hands and breathed out a shaky exhale as they waited for the door to open.

He could sense the nervous energy radiating from her and he was sure the feeling was mutual. They spent the afternoon at the Ives’, El spending Mother’s Day with Terry for the first time in her life. The two of them sat outside on the porch, hand in hand, a deep connection keeping the outside world far beyond their concern. Hopper and Becky sat at the kitchen table sipping on coffee in somewhat uncomfortable silence after both expressing their happiness that mother and daughter could finally be together.

Hopper had told El they would be visiting Terry on Mother’s Day before she could even suggest it herself. She set off to work as soon as the news was delivered, pulling a shoe box of crayons and colored pencils off the bookshelf to make a card. Hopper started on breakfast. spelling out words as El asked for help on some of the more complicated ones.

El stepped into the kitchen to pour their drinks when Hopper announced the food was almost ready. “What about Joyce?” She asked simply as she poured more coffee into Hopper’s mug.

Hopper glanced in her direction before flipping the last pancake onto a plate. “What about her?”

“What is she doing on Mother’s Day?”

“Will and Jonathan probably have something nice planned.” Hopper carried their plates to the table and waited for El to come sit down with her glass of orange juice. “Why?”

“She’s a mother.” El shrugged as she doused her pancakes with syrup.

Hopper laughed. “She is.” Hopper narrowed his eyes at her but she was none the wiser. He wondered what she was getting at but decided to let it go because, at least for now, she seemed to not have anything more to say.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Chief! Hi, El!” Jonathan got up from the couch as Will greeted them at the door, nodding at Hopper and smiling at El, he gestured to the flowers.

“Those are pretty. Mom will love them.” He smiled even bigger as the girl beamed back at him, pure excitement at the confirmation that she had done the right thing to get Hopper to stop at the store so she could pick them out.

Jonathan thought this situation would be more uncomfortable- the police chief and his adopted daughter joining them to celebrate Mother’s Day, but it seemed normal enough, both people assuming very important roles in the Byers’ lives in the past two years.

Just a week prior, Jonathan was sweeping up popcorn in the lobby of the theater. His back was turned on the entrance but a door creaked opened, announcing someone’s presence.

“Hey, kid, how are you?” Hopper pulled his hat off as he walked by the concession stand. “Slow night?”

Propping the broom and dustpan against the wall, Jonathan scratched at the back of his neck. “Is everything okay?” Even though things had been quiet for months now, everyone was still weary of what could come next.

Hopper’s eyes widened and Jonathan felt more at ease at the man’s surprise. “Sorry.” Jonathan shook his head. “You know.” He waved his hand at nothing in particular.

“Should’ve called to give you a heads up. I actually have a question for you.” Hopper ran his fingers along the brim of his hat, looking like he was trying to find a way to properly form the words. “What are you guys doing for Mother’s Day?”

“Oh.” That’s not what Jonathan had expected. He stared at Hopper for a few beats, the man seeming a little uncomfortable before he moved along. “We usually just hang out for the day. Nothing too special.”

Hopper nodded. “That’s nice.” A few more moments of silence. “So, I know this might be weird, but Jane has been asking about Joyce and what you guys had planned for Mother’s Day. She, uh, I can tell she has a soft spot for Joyce. Looks up to her. We’re going to visit Terry but I was wondering if we could take you all out for dinner? My treat.”

Jonathan stood still as Hopper rambled his way through his explanation and thought of the girl who was ripped away from her mother, lived her life in a lab, and upon breaking out into the real world, found herself in their mismatched little group, his own mom drawn to the girl the instant they met.

“And I want you to ask Will too. Decide if that’s something you all would be comfortable with. I told Jane we don’t want to overstep any boundaries so. Give me a call at the station once you’ve had a chance to talk it over?”

Jonathan nodded and grabbed the broom again. “Sure. Tell her I said hi.”

 

* * *

 

Joyce could hear their muffled voices from the other side of the door and shook her head. She should have known her boys had accomplices. She made her way into the living room to see El and Hopper. El jumped up and made her way over, flowers in tow. The girl suddenly shy standing before Joyce.

“You look very pretty. We got you-” She turned to look over at Hopper.

“Carnations.”

El faced Joyce once again. “Carnations.” She held out the bouquet in the space between them. “They’re from both of us. Happy Mother’s Day.” Joyce accepted the pink and white flowers, setting them down before pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you, sweetie. They’re beautiful.” Releasing her, she brushed back El’s hair and placed a hand on her cheek. “Thank you so much.” El leaned into her touch and gave a knowing nod.

Joyce looked to Will and asked him to help El find a vase for the flowers. Jonathan followed them, wanting to give his mom the chance to talk to Hopper, receiving a quick squeeze on the shoulder as he passed by.

Joyce made her way to stand in front of Hopper who sat in an armchair. The smell of his cologne wafted through the air and, much like her sons, he too was wearing a wrinkle free dress shirt. He offered a sly grin as she crossed her arms.

“Hop-”

“Joyce, I know, but she really wanted to do this for you.” Hopper cut in before she could get started. “We wanted to do this for you. All of us. I know you hate making a big show of things but please, just let us do this.” He was standing now, one large hand cupping her arm.

Joyce was always uncomfortable receiving compliments or being celebrated, but she wasn’t upset about this. She wanted to cry at the thought of El seeing her as someone important in her life, important enough to celebrate Mother’s Day with. She thinks of the first time she saw El, how small and reserved and strong the little girl was. She placed her hand over Hopper’s and squeezed. She blinked back a stray tear and then cleared her throat.

“Alright, kids! Are we ready to go?”

 

* * *

 

Hopper enjoyed the company of Joyce and her sons. He usually drove alone or with El by his side, so all the chatter from the backseat was a welcome change, Will and El giggling without inhibition, Jonathan shaking his head and chuckling at their nonsense. And Joyce. Joyce seemed so at peace, a warm smile on her face, she too enjoying the soundtrack of carefree kids.

Jonathan told him that they have been making Joyce a pasta dinner for Mother’s Day ever since he was deemed old enough to use kitchen appliances. Hopper decided then and there that they would be dining at Mancini’s. It was a few towns over but was arguably the best Italian restaurant in a 50 mile radius of Hawkins.

They pulled into the lot and Joyce sat up straight, reaching out to grab Hopper’s sleeve. He could see in her eyes that she had a series of refusals ready to fire but she had promised she would go along with whatever they had planned. Mancini’s was very nice and also very expensive. Hopper couldn’t care less.

The kids were out of the car as soon as they parked, stretching their legs after a drive that somehow seemed longer than it was. Hopper made his way around to the passenger door and offered to help Joyce out. She gripped his hand tightly and pulled until he was leaning into the car, practically nose to nose with her.

“This is too much, Hopper.” She hissed under her breath, trying to keep her voice low because the kids were still standing around the car.

“This is just enough.” He countered before gently pressing a kiss to her cheek.

 

* * *

 

The night went by smoothly. The conversations had around the table were comfortable and freeforming as if they had been having dinners like this for years. Will was in the process of making the argument that the shape of the pasta changed the taste of the overall dish.

“Pasta is pasta!”

“No, I swear it’s- here,” Will stabbed a twisted noodle and held his fork out to Jonathan, “try this.” He pushed the fork closer until his brother gave in. “Okay. And now try your spaghetti.”

El watched with wide eyes as the older boy chewed, waiting for the verdict. Joyce covered her mouth holding back a laugh as Jonathan looked deep in thought.

“Well?” Hopper questioned, siding with Will on the idea.

Jonathan wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “It does taste different.”

“See!” Will looked around the table, arms spread wide. “I told you! It’s because-”

“You ordered pesto and I ordered marinara.”

“What?” Will looked at his brother, his brother’s plate, and then down at his own. “...oh.”

Hopper let out a roar of laughter that was far too loud for the setting they were in but they all followed suit, wiping their eyes and shaking their heads, Will trying to defend himself through gasps of air as he leaned against El, the two laughing harder and harder.

“Excuse me?” Their laughter died down as an older couple stopped at their table on their way out of the restaurant.

Joyce, apologetic before she even knew why, automatically spoke up. “Oh, I’m sorry-”

The woman smiled down at her. “No, dear. I just wanted to say, you have a beautiful family.”

El’s eyes snapped to Hopper, who swallowed roughly and looked down at his plate. Jonathan was suddenly very interested in his napkin while Will stared at the woman, mouth agape.

Joyce looked at the people surrounding her. Her selfless sons, wise beyond their years and willing to do anything for their family. The man who has been there for her in one way or another since they themselves were children. And a young girl, the daughter she gained, who came into their lives and brought them all together in the end. She smiled at the older woman and nodded.

“Yes, I do.”


End file.
